


Fall Into Me

by DrHu



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, Ice Skating, One Shot, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-09 06:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14711154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrHu/pseuds/DrHu
Summary: The leader of the Phantom Thieves has no qualms about teaching you how to skate, but beware that he has his own way of going about it...





	Fall Into Me

**Author's Note:**

> True procrastination is not posting a fic for one of your favorite franchises ever even though it's been finished since 2015.

It’s cold. And you can barely stand up straight. 

You're gripping the walls of the rink, the only lifeline you've got. Your legs are sliding under you in directions you never knew possible, your ankles twisting like a blender rotor against the frictionless ice. You're afraid that one slip—pun not intended—in your concentration will send you teetering into a shameful, flailing dance of death.

Fingers welded to the ramp, it takes all your willpower to inch your body forward, to somehow get one leg in front of the other in a way that will actually translate into _movement._ You eye the other skaters enviously. How could they move so effortlessly with such blissful excitement as they whizz past? How can they maintain any control of their limbs, flying across the traction-less surface the way they are? In the time it takes you to move half a meter, you're sure the masses have already lapped the rink at least twice.

Where are the others? You haven't seen Ann enter the rink yet. Ryuji is likely getting food somewhere. You could spot Yusuke in the distance sitting on a bench outside the rink, scribbling something intently into a sketchbook. Morgana isn’t allowed here, but he probably snuck in and is slinking around in some corner of the facility, far away from the ice. You haven't the faintest clue where your leader is. 

You click your tongue and pout. Coming here was their idea in the first place. Unlike the others, you didn't know how to skate at all before today. It’s not like you weren't open to the idea, but you wish that the rest of the team would make good on their promise to teach you. But here you are, alone and stumbling on the ice.  

A cloud steams out your mouth as you sigh. Had anyone been near, you would have asked them to help you off the ice (and hoped you wouldn’t knock them down in the process). Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, by people who seem to skate as easily as they breathe, you're embarrassed by your gangly ways. You'd be more comfortable in a nest of Shadows. Sighing with disappointment, you painstakingly pivot your body back in the direction you came from and hobble your way back.

But you miscalculate a step, and your heart leaps up your throat as you slip. It’s fast and slow at the same time, the way you crumple. You close your eyes quickly, hoping for a landing that wouldn't hurt too much.  

Yet your body jolts as you feel something clamp onto her arm. Your eyes flutter open as a warm body hoists you upright with astonishing strength. Looking up, you're surprised to see your leader there, gazing down on you behind those round rimmed glasses. His hair is messier than usual, and his cheeks are pink from exertion.

He smiles sheepishly. “You okay?” His hand remains in a firm grip around your arm, and you're grateful for the support—and the warmth he’s giving off. You try to be subtle as you shuffle closer to him.

“I… Yeah, I’m fine. I was just…”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone like that. I forgot you couldn’t skate.” He seems to notice what you're doing and gently pulls you closer to him. You bury face in your scarf, hoping he doesn’t see the blush.

“Where were you anyway?”

“Restroom. Then I came out here and did a few laps before I noticed you. Thought you could use some help.” He flashes a grin, and you can no longer hide the blush.

“It’s not nice to keep someone hanging like this,” you grumble. Still annoyed, you try to continue your journey but you're immediately stopped by his grip.

“Going so soon? I promised I’d teach you how to skate.”

“Yeah I don’t...think that’s possible. I’m kind of sucking really hard at this. _Really_ hard.”

He’s still smiling, and it’s making you very warm. He moves in front of you and takes both your hands, something you can’t stop staring at. But your attention is diverted as he moves his face dizzyingly close to yours. His smile grows.

“Do you trust me?” he murmurs. Grey eyes effortlessly hold yours, and there’s a flirty slyness to his gaze. He’s doing that thing again where he bats his eyelashes just a little more than usual, and you're a goner. You swallow audibly before answering with a nod.  With a gleam in his eyes he slowly starts to skate backwards, gently tugging you along. You panic and your body seizes up.

“W-wait, what are you doing?”

“Calm down. You’ll be fine,” he chuckles. “Just keep your eyes on me.”

“I’ll knock us both over!”

His voice is soft as he replies, “I won’t let you fall.”

When he says it like that, how can you say no?

It’s slow going, but you're surprised at how much progress you're making. He’d pull you along, holding both hands, effortlessly gliding backwards as he watches you. Pull the hips back a little, bend the knees more, don’t be so stiff. He’s amazingly patient. You try your best to follow his guidance and soon enough your legs don’t cave in as much. Your knees aren’t quivering anymore and you can start standing on her own. He laughs when you look up at him as you stand in place, your face radiant with delight.

“L-look! I’m doing it! I can… _stand!”_ you call out to him. He’s not actually very far, hovering just a few inches away, but you can’t help it with how excited you are.

He laughs again. “Yeah, good job!”

But when you try to make your way to him, you stumble and nearly collapse.

Of course, he keeps his promise, and he catches you before you hits the ice. Not once has he let you fall.  And you're grateful.

As he teaches you how to actually move on your own, you suddenly can’t look at him. Your eyes are glued to your feet as they woodenly push against the ice.

“You can’t keep staring at your feet like that. You’ll run into something,” he teases. “Try looking up at me. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.”

You blink and turn your gaze upwards, eyes inevitably making contact with his. But you can’t hold them there for longer than a few seconds before quickly looking back down at your feet. You mumble an apology, saying that it helps for now.

But he knows it’s a lie, and you can  _hear_ his smile, that cocky grin that’s always so distracting in the best ways. In any other situation you'd love to just stare at him all day long…but maybe not when you're trying hard not to crack your skull against cold hard ice.

You get your chance later. When he’s sure you can stand on your own for a longer amount of time, he leaves you be for a little while as he takes some time alone to zip around the rink. You feel none of the envy from before; you observe with wonder as he flies past you, confidently bent forward, hands behind his back. Loose clothing billows behind him, and you note how Joker-like he is right now, even though none of you are wearing your masks. You watch in sheer amazement as he jumps and twirls his way across the ice. Powerful kicks followed by barely seconds of dizzying rotations in the air, ending with a landing so graceful you can’t believe he’s not cheating in some way. It’s mesmerizing, and a little surprising since he’s not even in his thief persona. Or is he?

After a while he returns, face flushed again and looking pleased. You give him a small round of applause for his efforts.

“All that work just for a little rink like this? Are you _trying_ to make everyone else here feel bad?” you joke.

He smirks and moves closer to you so no one else can see his face. It’s then that you notice that he’s taken off his glasses. The docility is gone, replaced by a mischievous air that you recognize all too well. He leans in until his lips almost touch yours.

“A little performance, just for you,” he breathes, so close you can feel his breath fanning across your skin. Heat creeps up your neck again and you clear your throat as you try to move away. Of course, you nearly slip again, caught just in time by your ever-dependable companion. Inhibitions completely gone, you plant your face into his shoulder with a groan.

“This is so embarrassing,” you grumble, muffled into his coat. “How do you even put up with me?”

You feel his hands rest on your hips, and he chuckles. “Maybe I just like how helpless you look.”

“ _Rude.”_

“Hmm, now I wonder… If I just left you, all alone, and didn’t come back, what would you do?”

He moves away from you just a tad, but you clutch his arms in a near death grip, glaring up at him with an expression that says, “ _Don’t you dare.”_ He cocks an eyebrow at your unspoken proclamation, placing his hands over yours. You have no doubt he could break the grip.

“How would you stop me?”

“Maybe I can’t… But I can still chase after you, you conniving thief.”

“You’d fall the whole way.”

“That won’t keep me from you.”

He’s silent for a few moments, contemplating the furious determination reflected on your face. Maneuvering out of your grip, nevertheless he still pulls your closer until his head is next to her ear.

He leans in and says, “Well, I suppose I should stay with you then, to make sure you don’t embarrass yourself too much.”

His proximity is distracting, but you have enough of your wits to reply, “Good. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

He chuckles, and you sense he’s rather pleased at your answer. His dark eyes are warmer now as he gently takes hold of you again.

“Come on. This way.”

Blinking, you let him pull you away from the edge of the rink and nervously notice that he's headed towards the center. Somehow he guides you around the other people in the rink until you're both standing amid the shifting flux of skaters.  You're nervous being in open, but his grip on you is tight.

“O-okay, I’ve seen everything. Can we go back now? To the wall? Where it’s safe?” you gripe. Your partner laughs and only pulls your closer.

“What, you’re saying you’re not safe with me?”

“You are the exact _opposite_ of safe,” you retort. Yet even as you says this, you cling to him as tight as you can, squeezing your bodies together as closely as you can manage through the layers. Even though the other skaters are a sizable radius away, you still can’t help but flinch as they whizz by.

He laughs again. “My God, you're so cute when you're helpless."

You look up at him, about to snap back a response. Yet the words are lost the moment you open your mouth, as he quickly leans down and captures your lips in his own.

His arm is wrapped securely around your waist to keep you from slipping. Lips, soft and full, claiming your own, creating delicious friction as they move against yours, the kind that send shivers down your spine. His skin is fire against your chilly exterior, but the chill quickly vanishes as blood rushes to your face. It doesn’t matter how many laps you might make around the rink; no amount of exercise could reproduce the levels of heat you're generating right now. You aren't sure how you're not melting a hole into the ice right where you're standing.

After he pulls away, he snorts back a chuckle at seeing how red you are. A few skaters howl at you after the display, and you blush even harder, wrenching the woolen cap you're wearing over your ears in embarrassment.

“What was that for?” you demand, refusing to look at him.

Grinning, he pulls off a glove to cup your cheek. “You were so cold before. I was just trying to warm you up. It looks like it worked.”

“Th-there are other ways! And… And this is hardly the time and place!”

He cocks an eyebrow, and his tone drops as he replies, “Other ways, huh? So… You wanna go somewhere more private and… do… something… else?”

You somehow become even redder and smack him across the arm for good measure. Laughing again, he leans in and plants a soft kiss on your forehead.

“You were doing so well, so I thought I’d reward you,” he murmurs.

“You could have done that another time…” you mutter.

“What can I say? You’re adorable, I couldn’t resist.”

You grumble under your breath, trying your best to shove him out of the spotlight of the center of the rink. He humors you until he notices that you're edging them towards the exit, and he devises an offer.

“What, finished so soon?”

“Hush,” you order. You know if he says any more, he’ll only get you into more trouble.

He smirks. “You were getting so good. You don’t want to keep going?”

“No.”

Right as you're about to shove him out of the rink, he walls you in with his arms. “How does this sound? For every lap you do—with or without me, doesn’t matter—I’ll give you a kiss. Sound good?”

You freeze mid-push, and he can see it in your eyes the cogs turning in your brain. He can’t help but grin. Checkmate.

And you know it.

Biting your lip, you look up at him with an expression that says, “ _I hate you,”_ before giving in.

“Fine,” you surrender. “But you’re buying me hot chocolate later too.”

“Deal.”

He makes good on his promise, like he always does. And by the end of the day, you think to yourself, maybe ice skating isn’t all that bad after all.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are very much appreciated.


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